


A Fresh Line of Enquiry

by china_shop



Category: Battle Creek (TV)
Genre: Caffeine Addiction, Community: fan_flashworks, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-02
Updated: 2016-03-02
Packaged: 2018-05-24 07:27:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6146113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/china_shop/pseuds/china_shop
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Insufficiently caffeinated Russ and excessively helpful Jacocks.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Fresh Line of Enquiry

**Author's Note:**

> Trying out a new fandom. Implied Russ/Milt pre-slash.
> 
> For the Fan_Flashworks amnesty, "Teamwork" prompt.

Russ yawned over his latest case report. Guz had explicitly said it was due no later than five the previous evening, but he was only on his third cup of coffee for the morning and he couldn’t get his brain to focus yet. 

Then Jacocks said over his shoulder, “You have to do something about Milt.”

Russ started and spilled his coffee all over his half-written report. Dammit! The caffeine must be making him jumpy. He grabbed a handful of paper napkins and mopped up. “What about Milt? I can’t force him to—” He bit his tongue, scowled and turned to glare at Jacocks, all at once.

“He’s already worked fifty hours this week, and it’s only Thursday,” said Jacocks, one hand on her hip.

Russ felt a chill down his spine. “Are you guys _spying_ on him?”

“There’s CCTV in the hallway.” Jacocks shrugged. “It took less than ten minutes to scan the footage and do the math.”

“Ten minutes of tax-funded police time.” Russ dumped the wet wad of napkins, picked up his cup and went to the coffeepot for a refill, hoping Jacocks would lose interest, but she tailed him. Russ sighed. “Look,” he said, “Milt is a grown man. He doesn’t need a babysitter telling him to eat his greens and go to bed before midnight and stop working so hard. He’s not an idiot.”

Jacocks shook her head, ignoring his completely sound reasoning. “You said we need to find out what’s going on with Milt. Why he’s in Battle Creek.”

“Yeah, and I already investigated. All the leads are dead ends.” Russ absent-mindedly spooned three sugars into his coffee and stirred it. 

“Not past-Milt,” said Jacocks. “What’s going on with now-Milt? Why does he work all the time?”

Russ surreptitiously crossed his fingers, so the lie wouldn’t count. “I don’t care about now-Milt.”

“Yes, you do.”

“No.” Russ was getting annoyed. Plus his coffee was obnoxiously sweet. He had to grit his teeth to keep from spitting the first mouthful into the trash. He swallowed. “I really don’t.”

“Yes, you do.” Jacocks grinned and leaned in. “Now-Milt is a lead. He has info on past-Milt.”

Russ put down his disgusting coffee. She was right, and what’s more, she’d just given him an excuse to go across the hall, bum a cup of expensive coffee and annoy Milt into the bargain. Which he was secretly dying to do, though he couldn’t say why. “You know, you’re right,” he said, starting to smile at her. “He works way too much for a man on an FBI salary.” He pointed at Jacocks and winked. “Good tip.”

He left his cup on his desk, along with the stained report, knowing Guz would ultimately understand. For the good of the BCPD—no, for the good of Battle Creek period, he had more important things to do.

 

END


End file.
